Aamir Yasin

Arrangements being made for PTI-AML public gathering at Liaquat Bagh. — Online RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Awami Muslim League (AML) on Saturday completed arrangements for holding a public gathering at Liaquat Bagh on Sunday night. AML President Sheikh Rashid claimed that the Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) tried to stop his party workers from installing a sound system at the venue. Mr Rashid told Dawn that the PML-N provincial government had double standard as it allowed Nawaz Sharif to interrupt the movement of citizens on Murree Road on Aug 9 and was now trying to stop the public meeting of Imran Khan. Sheikh Rashid claims govt officials tried to stop his party workers from installing sound system at the venue “On Saturday morning, we were installing a sound system at Liaquat Bagh when PHA officials reached there and tried to stop us. But due to the resistance of the AML workers, the officials went back.” He said arrangements had been completed to welcome Imran Khan at the public gathering on Sunday night. “We did not seek permission from the district administration for holding the public meeting but informed them to make arrangements for the security of Imran Khan,” Mr Rashid added. On the other hand, PTI local leaders submitted an application to the district administration seeking permission to drop pamphlets in the city from a helicopter. “The deputy commissioner was contacted for permission to drop pamphlets through aircraft/helicopter to advertise for the public meeting on Sunday morning,” PTI MPA [Read More…]

RAWALPINDI: PTI is likely go solo for its Nov 2 ‘lockdown’ of Islamabad, as its ally, Dr Tahirul Qadri’s Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT), is still waiting for a response on its conditions for participation and has not made preparations. A PAT leader told Dawn that at a meeting in Lahore on Oct 27, PAT told PTI that its workers would participate in the protest if PTI took the party into confidence on all decisions about the protest and the situation that may arise after it. He said the party would continue its moral support for Imran Khan but if PTI succeeds in forcing Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to resign, the party would make all decisions after taking the PAT into confidence. The PAT leader said the party had not asked its workers to prepare for Nov 2. “It is not possible for the party workers to go to the venue without directives from the party leadership,” he said. “There has been no preparation in Rawalpindi region.” Citing Sheikh Rashid’s public meeting in Rawalpindi on Oct 28, he said 300 PAT workers were ready to attend the meeting but were stopped from doing so after the routes heading to Lal Haveli were closed off. PAT General Secretary Khurram Nawaz Gandapur said the party was ready to participate and was awaiting a response from PTI as to where PAT should join them. “We gave them suggestions, not conditions that PTI should take PAT into confidence in decision making. But we are not [Read More…]

RAWALPINDI: Three days before Imran Khan’s plan to siege Islamabad, confusion prevailed in his party about the venue where its workers would assemble. “There is no coordination between the leadership and the workers and the latter have to go to the Banigala mansion of Imran Khan to get information,” a senior PTI leader told Dawn. “The party changed two plans in the last 24 hours. On Friday night, the local leaders were asked to make arrangements for blocking Faizabad but the idea was dropped on Saturday afternoon. A press conference by Imran Khan was also canceled soon after an announcement. Now the local leaders have been informed about a public gathering in Attock on October 31.” Activists say they are willing to respond to Imran Khan’s call but do not know where to assemble He said there was an uncertainty among the workers as they did not know where they would gather on November 2. “Earlier, it was announced that the protesters would gather at Faizabad up to Zero Point but after the activists started assembling at Banigala, it was assumed that the rally would start from there.” He said the PTI had formed committees to contact its workers but the mobile phones of the party’s Punjab north and the district chapter heads remained switched off. He said PTI MPAs from Rawalpindi were busy holding photo sessions in different areas. “Internal differences among the PTI office-bearers and its five members of the Punjab Assembly may cost the party heavily as [Read More…]

RAWALPINDI: To the disappointment of party workers and supporters, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s expected visit to former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s memorial in Liaquat Bagh on May 30 has been cancelled. On May 25, local PPP leaders had announced that the party chairperson would visit the garrison city, and had planned to welcome Bilawal to Liaquat Bagh – where his mother was assassinated on Dec 27, 2007 – for the first time. But a few days later, local leaders informed old party workers that Bilawal would not stay in Rawalpindi on his way to Mirpur, Azad Kashmir, on May 30, and said they should arrange rallies to accompany him to Mirpur. A senior party leader told Dawn that a plan had been set for the party chairperson’s visit, but a few hours later the plan changed after seeing “grouping” among party leaders, which could have caused the party embarrassment. “After the plan, the party called a meeting at Zardari House on May 25 under the leadership of Jehangir Badar to make arrangements for the visit, but a brawl took place between local leaders of the twin cities. Raja Khalid, former PPP Rawalpindi chapter general secretary, misbehaved with Shahid Papu, the elected chairman from the city union council,” he said.He said the party then asked senior party leaders from the area, but they were not in favour of Bilawal visiting Rawalpindi, and the party instead decided to give local leaders time to end their differences so they could work together [Read More…]

RAWALPINDI: The Rs240 million released to government schools by the provincial government for the replacement of missing facilities has been spent in a week on upgrading security.Punjab government had allocated the money to 1,946 government-run schools in the district two months ago for replacing missing facilities and released the amount 10 days ago.The administrations of these schools decided to use this money when they were directed to construct higher boundary walls, install barbed wires, UPS devices, CCTV cameras and ensure other security measures, a senior official of the education department told Dawn, adding that the government did not have enough money to give them more.Government-run schools will not be given more funds this fiscal year, he said, because the Rs240 million had been released in the middle of the fiscal year and every school was to be given between Rs0.8 and Rs1 million. Former army and Rangers officials to be hired to man public schools The official explained that for the next five months, government schools will not be able to replace missing facilities like chairs, benches, computer labs, water coolers and fans among other things.“The government has asked the education department to deploy 176 retired army or Rangers officials on guard duty for schools. Interviews for these positions will start on February 2 and the guards will be paid from development funds,” he added.Executive District Officer Education Qazi Zahoorul Haq told Dawn the money allocated for missing facilities had been utilised for upgrading security because keeping children and staff [Read More…]

RAWALPINDI, April 25: The electioneering process is fun for the youngsters as there is a lot of activity in the city, but the candidates spend restless days and sleepless nights to run their election campaigns using public

Consumer Notice:

This is an affiliate Ad supported site. That means if you buy something from a link, or Ad on this website, or based on our recommendation, either expressed or implied, we may get paid an affiliate commission. That's how we pay the bills.